Women's March on Washington sign of protest (fourth story)

Lemuel (my son), and I at the Smithsonian subway station Jan. 21, 2017. I was on my way to the Women's March. It was 10 in the morning, and Lemuel was on duty watching the crowds streaming by his solitary place enjoying the moment, ever ready to smile and to serve. That early in the day he was already getting high numbers of people strolling out of the subway on to the Mall. The trains were full to the maximum so early in large part because Metro put the trains on Saturday schedule. That means fewer trains to service more people!

If you haven't caught it yet, my son is a police officer.

Gregory E. Woods, Keeper of Stories 1/21/17

I saw only two men who were a possible threat to the women in the crowd. They were moving in a way that smelled of menace. The first man was a Black man, who found within the courage to rage and vent against the women talking from the perspective of their bodies about abortion, the punany, the political assaults in the president's insults. He trembled with an old rage. I watched him for a tiny sliver of time before he suddenly stood up and began sending his words into the crowd. It was dark and the women who heard it bundled themselves in prayer and practiced fear, but only a moment or two. They were in numbers and he looked around and found no other man like him in the crowd. For a moment he was defiant. There was no response. There was just women staring up at him and looking away on purpose giving him no consideration. He tried to address the audience in his head, but that was too obvious making him look awkward and unsure. Then he was gone. He turned on his heels and darted away like a deer.

The second man was a fool. The people, many of us were walking away from the closed event up Independence Avenue. There were too many people trying to get on the subway so walking home or to the Stadium to get on the hundreds of buses to return guests home across the country and back to airports was the only thing to do. For those who don't know that avenue is flanked by government. The Library of Congress, the U.S. Capital, the administration building of the Library of Congress and other buildings all protected by Capital Police, and they are a tight well trained unit.

Walking into the happy crowd of all sorts of people one of those masked agitator men walked through the walkers with three women all dressed in a ragged assemblage of found clothing. His face was masked in a black cloth leading a chant the women he was with responded to. His energy was off. His eyes were distant, separated from his appearance and seemed to walk ahead of him. It was obvious he was from out of town. Men like that don't tread softly amongst police ever at the ready on a constant basis for terrorist attacks. It was laughable because the wrong move!! If I could be surrounded by Capital Police, and I was a few years ago for being a terrorist while sitting in a park not far from there with a friend what would a cat like that face on Capital Hill?


Gregory E. Woods, Keeper of Stories
Jan. 22, 2017 

Women's March on Washington signs of protest from the pain of... photo by Gaby Grebski.